Close closet fitting and closet carrier with bowl connection

ABSTRACT

In a close type soil line closet fitting and closet bowl carrier combination for a wall hung bowl, the fitting has a bowl connection branch having external front lug formations engaging the carrier back, and having an externally threaded reduced end projecting through a carrier aperture to receive, axially adjustably telescoped in the branch, a male threaded bowlcoupling extension threaded through a female-threaded reduced portion of a collar as a compression nut with a counterbore threaded onto the branch end and advanceable into the carrier aperture; whereby a gasket in the counterbore bottom circumferentially seals the branch end with the extension. The collar, to serve as a fitting-clamping lock nut, has three equally angularly spaced radial lugs through which set screws are threaded against the carrier. The extension passage inside diameter contracts at its outer end to provide a reinforcing thickened wall section and a broader gasket sealing end face.

United States Patent 1 Mielbeck et al.

[ 51 May 15,1973

154] CLOSE CLOSET FITTING AND CLOSET CARRIER WITH BOWL CONNECTION [75] Inventors: Roger L. Mielbeck, La Porte; Nicholas G. Scheuer, Michigan City,

both of 1nd. I

[73] Assignee: Josam Manufacturing Co., Michigan City, Ind.

[22] Filed: Jan. 6, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 104,323

3,268,919 8/1966 Pope ..4/252 R Primary Examiner1-louston S. Bell, Jr.

Assistant ExaminerDonald B. Massenberg A ttorney Ely, Golrich & Flynn [57] ABSTRACT In a close type soil line closet fitting and closet bowl carrier combination for a wall hung bowl, the fitting has a bowl connection branch having external front lug formations engaging the carrier back, and having an externally threaded reduced end projecting through a carrier aperture to receive, axially adjustably telescoped in the branch, a male threaded bowlcoupling extension threaded through a femalethreaded reduced portion of a collar as a compression nut with a counterbore threaded onto the branch end and advanceable into the carrier aperture; whereby a gasket in the counterbore bottom circumferentially seals the branch end with the extension. The collar, to serve as a fitting-clamping lock nut, has three equally angularly spaced radial lugs through which set screws are threaded against the carrier. The extension passage inside diameter contracts at its outer end to provide a reinforcing thickened wall section and a broader gasket sealing end face.

5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures CLOSE CLOSET FITTING AND CLOSET CARRIER WITH BOWL CONNECTION In close type bowl carrier and close fitting combinations for wall-hung water closet bowls as exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 3,054,119, certain practical difficulties have been encountered by the prior art, in the ease of adjustment of the closet bowl coupling or extension, after roughing-in operations have been completed and at the time of final bowl installation.

It is the general object of the present invention to provide an improved form of close type carrier fitting combination with adjustable bowl connection or coupling which overcomes prior art disadvantages. A still further object is the provision of a carrier and fitting assembly of the type described which is easily installed, obtains a well sealed bowl outlet-to-soil stack connection with ready adjustability, while maintaining a relative compact construction. A still further object is the provision of a combination of the type described providing a rugged construction particularly in the area of the fitting which is involved in the coupling or connection of the bowl to the soil stack fitting.

Other objects and advantages, and a particular embodiment of the invention, will appear from the following description and the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a closet bowl carrier and fitting installation, with the region most pertinent to the invention shown in vertical axial section taken as indicated by line 1-1 in FIG. 2; the bowl appearing only in fragmentary form;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the adjustable close carrier and soil stack fitting combination corresponding to FIG. I, but with the bowl and surrounding environmental structure omitted; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section showing details of a fitting branch, lock nut, and adjustable closet bowl connecting extension or coupling in a critical sealing and clamping region.

The drawing, FIG. 1 represents an embodiment of the invention installed in environmental structure ineluding a poured floor slab S supporting a bowl carrier structure C, here shown mainly behind but partially within a building wall W at which a water closet bowl B (shown in fragmentary form) is to be supported or hung by the carrier, for outlet discharge connection to a, here vertical, soil line fitting or casting F in or behind the wall to which fitting the back outlet horn II of the bowl is connected by the adjustable extension or coupling E as hereinafter described.

The carrier C, as here shown, in a known arrangement includes a vertical body or invertible carrier body plate P, aptly a rugged casting, vertically adjustably supported by like independent foot unit castings T having upright portions embracing straight side margins of, and vertically slotted for bolting to, the carrier plate; bottom flanged foot portions being secured to the floor as by anchor bolts A.

The bowl is secured to body P and thus independently of, and spaced slightly from, wall W by four stud assemblies 10 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Each assembly 10 includes a stud ll threaded into body P and projecting outwardly beyond the wall face through a respective hole in the bowl back flange 12 clamped thereon in spaced relation to the wall finish surface by back up nut 13 and washer 14, and at the front by a decorative cap nut 15 and washer 16; each stud being secured axially in horizontally adjusted position in the carrier by a jam nut 17.

Conformable to now-standardized bowl sanitary fixture specifications on outlet horn and bowl mounting flange aperture sizes and spacings, four stud-receiving threaded body apertures are disposed at the locations of assemblies 10, equally spaced in upper and lower horizontal pairs with one pair on the horizontal centerline of the fitting-branch-receiving main body plate aperture 24; and also on the carrier vertical centerline there is a further such threaded aperture 19. Thus, from the orientation for a Syphon-jet bowl having a four-aperture flange as here shown, wherein the slotted webs of Tee-section legs T are clamped against the body plate P by the clamping washers and nuts 17 of the respective lower studs 11 extending through the leg slots, the carrier is invertible to a position for a blowout bowl with a three-aperture flange, for which the legs T are clamped simply by cap screws or machine bolts with a pair of stud assemblies being used in the then upper pair of apertures and a single stud in the aperture 19 at the bottom.

In the vertical soil line or stack fitting F, an integrally cast, horizontally extending, short inlet or bowl connection branch, designated generally at 20, carries a plurality of integral, carrier body plate positioning and seating radial lugs 21 with plate engaging front faces or shoulders 21a; and, beyond these symmetrically spaced lugs, the branch terminates in a short male-threaded end portion 22, whereon is threaded a compression seal collar or lock ring or nut L, with body partially received or receivable in the boss-reinforced plate aperture 24 and having three equi-angularly spaced integral external radial lugs 25 threaded for clamping set screws 26 bearing on the plate P to clamp the plate and fitting together. The lugs 21 being close to the body of the fitting and threaded portion 22 short, a close branch connection is provided.

The plate aperture back periphery is symmetrically interrupted by notches 28 complementary to the fitting branch integral projecting lugs 21 affording a mating female to male engagement, aiding angular fixation of the fitting relative to the carrier. The relative number and spacing of the lugs and notches is preferably such that the fitting may have a plurality of secure angular orientations relative to the carrier; e.g. with two (or four) lugs, and eight notches, the fitting may be secured at 45 incrementally differing orientations.

The extension element or bowl coupling E is of generally known form with externally threaded cylindrical body 30 and an end bell or cylindrically flanged enlargement 31 making an endwise compression seal to V the bowl outlet by the usual horn gasket G, and further provided with wrench engaging lugs 32.

The cylindrical body is threaded through the correspondingly female-threaded aperture in the reduced diameter end 34 of the lock nut L to be received freely axially shiftably within the fitting side branch bore to which accordingly it is adjustably secured; straight, non-tapered, threads being used on both the fitting branch and the extension, hence in nut L.

In effect, the lock nut or collar L may be considered to have at its large diameter end (left side) a counterbore threaded to be received on the fitting branch thread, and to receive an extension-sealing element 36 against its inside bottom surface including the bevelled counterbore shoulder 34a; so that tightening the lock nut onto the fitting compresses the seal element gasket 36 between the lock nut, the end region of the fitting side branch, and the coupling circumference to provide a water-tight seal of the adjustable coupling to the fitting. The seal element 36 may have an O-ring configuration and also may be fabricated of an elastomeric or graphite impregnated material for which many suitable substances and compositions are known.

The larger plate aperture diameter permits the main body portion of the lock nut to be in great part received in and advanced axially within the confines of the plate preferably with small clearance, for centering and compression sealing purposes, while minimizing the axial dimension, which is important for adaptability of the combination, e.g., to thin wall environment installations.

The clamping force on the carrier body plate thereafter is developed by tightening the set screws 26, thus securing the fitting and the carrier plate to each other without involving, or transmitting tensile forces through, the threaded engagement of the extension element with the lock nut.

As seen more clearly in FIG. 3, preferably the bore or passage of the fitting side branch reduces in inside diameter near its end region by a notable taper at 23 thereby increasing the wall thickness of the branch at its outboard free end, and also increasing the radial span of the circumferential branch end face 220 pressing the sealing element 36 against the radial and the sloping bottom interior walls 34b, 34a of the lock nut seal cavity.

This first provides a reinforcing thickness at the free end of the branch, contributing to strength which minimizes possibility, from fabrication to completed installation, of such damage to the important threaded end 22 (where distortions out of round are particularly objectionable) as at times occurs to an extent in practical sense of rendering the fitting unuseable.

Further by the thickened wall portion at the end face of the fitting branch, an increased sealing is promoted, as a wider pressure face is present on 22, also a greater blocking of the gap between the adjacent extension and the lock nut interiors, thereby to increase the effective sealing pressure and minimize gasket extrusion.

In installation, with the fitting already roughed-in in the soil stack, the carrier C is placed on the fitting branch 20; the lock nut L, with a seal element 36 in place and the extension E already threaded therethrough, is threaded onto the external threaded fitting branch end 22 to compress the seal element or gasket 36 sufficiently to achieve the desired water seal; the set screws 26 are then tightened to clamp the carrier plate and fitting securely and to lock L against rotation; and the legs T are anchored to the floor slab and secured in position relative to the plate.

When the bowl fixture is hung, usually much later, final axial adjustments of bowl coupling extension E are then easily made by screwing it in or out without disturbing ring L and the gasket seal. This advantage makes this aspect of the disclosed structure useful also in other fitting and carrier environments, for example, where a waste line closet fitting face plate, with or without carrier function, has a coupling receiving aperture surrounded by a threaded flange such as 24 for a lock nut L through which the coupling extension is likewise threaded in gasket sealed relation to the face plate, in which case, only a single set-screw 26 being required bearing on the face plate, since it needs serve only to secure the ring against rotation.

We claim:

1. In a close closet fitting and closet carrier combination including a soil line closet fitting having a short integral side inlet branch,

a closet outlet coupling extension axially adjustably received in the internal passage of the side inlet branch,

a closet carrier including a vertical body plate having an aperture receiving said side branch therethrough,

and a locking ring concentric with said extension secured relative to said side inlet branch and clamping means bearing on said plate and clamping said plate against shoulder means integral with said inlet branch,

said locking ring including seal element means disposed internally thereof and compressed into a circumferentially sealing relation with said extension and the end of the side inlet branch,

the improvement comprising:

said fitting as having said side inlet branch provided with a plurality of like, symmetrically equally angularly spaced, external radial integral lugs close to the body of said fitting, said lugs, forming said shoulder means, having substantially flat front faces as lug shoulders for a positioning and clamping engagement with the said carrier body plate in the back peripheral region of said aperture, and said side inlet branch terminating in a male threaded portion forward of said lug shoulder for receiving said locking ring threaded thereon; said locking ring being provided by a collar having at one end a female threaded reduced diameter portion with said extension adjustably threaded therethrough axially into the passage of said branch, having at the other end a larger diameter female threaded counterbore, and

having a seal element compressing shoulder defined between said female threaded portions;

and an annular seal element received in said ring against said compressing shoulder;

said female threaded counterbore threaded onto the male threaded said branch portion, thereby to secure said extension in sealed axially adjustable relation to said side inlet branch;

said collar as the locking ring including a plurality of symmetrically disposed radially projecting external lugs with respective set screws threaded therethrough for a clamping engagement with the said carrier body front face in the region peripheral of said aperture;

the lugs of said collar being located toward the end thereof having the reduced diameter female threaded portion, and said aperture having a diameter sufficient to receive the rear end of said ring with a circumferential clearance permitting centering of the inlet branch relative to said aperture.

2. The improvement as described in claim 1, wherein said side branch has its internal passage locally con tracting in diameter near its outboard open inlet end increasing substantially the inlet branch -wall thickness thereby to strengthen the open end and to increase the seal element contacting radial end face area of the branch.

3. The improvement as described in claim 1 including, a said carrier body plate having at least one set of notches in the back peripheral region of said aperture like in number and symmetrical spacing to the plurality of lugs on said side branch, and complementarily adapted to receive at least portions of each of the fitting branch lugs thereby to orient the carrier with respect to said fitting.

4. The improvement as described in claim 3, wherein said plate has a multiplicity of said notches so spaced that the body plate may be located in a plurality of distinct angular orientations on said inlet'branch.

5. In a closet fitting and carrier combination including a soil line closet fitting having a closet side inlet branch,

a vertical closet-carrying plate associated with said inlet branch,

a hollow cylindrical formation in liquid-tight communication with the fitting interior at said branch and having a front end portion projecting forwardly beyond said plate,

a closet outlet coupling extension axially adjustably received in said hollow formation to communicate with the inlet passage of the said inlet branch and coaxially disposed relative to an aperture through said plate,

and a locking ring concentric with said extension secured to said inlet branch and axially adjustably supporting said extension relative to said inlet branch,

said locking ring including seal element means compressed into a circumferentially sealing relation with said extension and the end of the projecting portion of said cylindrical formation, the improvement comprising: said cylindrical formation as terminating in a male threaded portion extending forward of said plate beyond the said aperture of the plate; and as said locking ring, a collar having at one end a female threaded reduced diameter portion with said extension adjustably threaded therethrough axially through said formation and in communication with said branch, having at the other end a larger diameter female threaded counterbore, and having a seal-element-compressing shoulder defined between said female threaded portions; and an annular seal element received in said ring against said compressing shoulder; said female threaded counterbore threaded onto the male threaded portion of said cylindrical formation, thereby to secure said extension in sealed axially adjustable relation to said fitting and said branch; said locking ring including at least one radially projecting external lug with a set screw threaded therethrough into a ring-locking engagement with the said vertical plate in the region peripheral of its said aperture and said cylindrical formation; the lug of said collar being located toward the end thereof having the reduced diameter female threaded portion and said aperture having a diameter sufficientto receive the rear end of said ring with a circumferential clearance permitting centering of the inlet branch relative to said aperture.

# i i i 

1. In a close closet fitting and closet carrier combination including a soil line closet fitting having a short integral side inlet branch, a closet outlet coupling extension axially adjustably received in the internal passage of the side inlet branch, a closet carrier including a vertical body plate having an aperture receiving said side branch therethrough, and a locking ring concentric with said extension secured relative to said side inlet branch and clamping means bearing on said plate and clamping said plate against shoulder means integral with said inlet branch, said locking ring including seal element means disposed internally thereof and compressed into a circumferentially sealing relation with said extension and the end of the side inlet branch, the improvement comprising: said fitting as having said side inlet branch provided with a plurality of like, symmetrically equally angularly spaced, external radial integral lugs close to the body of said fitting, said lugs, forming said shoulder means, having substantially flat front faces as lug shoulders for a positioning and clamping engagement with the said carrier body plate in the back peripheral region of said aperture, and said side inlet branch terminating in a male threaded portion forward of said lug shoulder for receiving said locking ring threaded thereon; said locking ring being provided by a collar having at one end a female threaded reduced diameter portion with said extension adjustably threaded therethrough axially into the passage of said branch, having at the other end a larger diameter female threaded counterbore, and having a seal element compressing shoulder defined between said female threaded portions; and an annular seal element received in said ring against said compressing shoulder; said female threaded counterbore threaded onto the male threaded said branch portion, thereby to secure said extension in sealed axially adjustable relation to said side inlet branch; said collar as the locking ring including a plurality of symmetrically disposed radially projecting external lugs with respective set screws threaded therethrough for a clamping engagement with the said carrier body front face in the region peripheral of said aperture; the lugs of said collar being located toward the end thereof having the reduced diameter female threaded portion, and said aperture having a diameter sufficient to receive the rear end of said ring with a circumferential clearance permitting centering of the inlet branch relative to said aperture.
 2. The improvement as described in claim 1, wherein said side branch has its internal passage locally contracting in diameter near its outboard open inlet end increasing substantially the inlet branch wall thickness thereby to strengthen the open end and to increase the seal element contacting radial end face area of the branch.
 3. The improvement as described in claim 1 including, a said carrier body plate having at least one set of notches in the back peripheral region of said aperture like in number and symmetrical spacing to the plurality of lugs on said side branch, and complementarily adapted to receive at least portions of each of the fitting branch lugs thereby to orient the carrier with respect to said fitting.
 4. The improvement as described in claim 3, wherein said plate has a multiplicity of said notches so spaced that the body plate may be located in a plurality of distinct angular orientations on said inlet branch.
 5. In a closet fitting and carrier combination including a soil line closet fitting having a closet side inlet branch, a vertical closet-carrying plate associated with said inlet branch, a hollow cylindrical formation in liquid-tight communication with the fitting interior at said branch and having a front end portion projecting forwardly beyond said plate, a closet outlet coupling extension axially adjustably received in said hollow formation to communicate with the inlet passage of the said inlet branch and coaxially disposed relative to an aperture through said plate, and a locking ring concentric with said extension secured to said inlet branch and axially adjustably supporting said extension relative to said inlet branch, said locking ring including seal element means compressed into a circumferentially sealing relation with said extension and the end of the projecting portion of said cylindrical formation, the improvement comprising: said cylindrical formation as terminating in a male threaded portion extending forward of said plate beyond the said aperture of the plate; and as said locking ring, a collar having at one end a female threaded reduced diameter portion with said extension adjustably threaded therethrough axially through said formation and in communication with said branch, having at the other end a larger diameter female threaded counterbore, and having a seal-element-compressing shoulder defined between said female threaded portions; and an annular seal element received in said ring against said compressing shoulder; said female threaded counterbore threaded onto the male threaded portion of said cylindrical formation, thereby to secure said extension in sealed axially adjustable relation to said fitting and said branch; said locking ring including at least one radially projecting external lug with a set screw threaded therethrough into a ring-locking engagement with the said vertical plate in the region peripheral of its said aperture and said cylindrical formation; the lug of said collar being located toward the end thereof having the reduced diameter female threaded portion and said aperture having a diameter sufficient to receive the rear end of said ring with a circumferential clearance permitting centering of the inlet branch relative to said aperture. 